A British businessman who was released from a French prison after serving less than two years for murdering his fiancée has been jailed again in the UK for assaulting his father. Ian Griffin, 47, was sentenced to 20 years in France for the 2009 murder of Polish-born millionaire Kinga Legg, but a French judge ordered his release in October after he had served only a fraction of his 14-year sentence.
Upon his return to the UK, Griffin attacked his 72-year-old father, leaving him with serious injuries. He was arrested and charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm. At a hearing at Chester Crown Court, Griffin pleaded guilty and was sentenced to an additional period of imprisonment. The court heard that the attack was unprovoked and that Griffin's father required hospital treatment.
Kinga Legg's family expressed shock and outrage upon learning of Griffin's release from French custody. Her cousin Eva said: 'Oh my God! How can this be? I thought that life meant life. You take a life and you pay for it by forfeiting your own freedom.' Legg suffered 100 injuries in the frenzied attack at the Bristol hotel in Paris.
Griffin had fled the scene in his Porsche and was found sleeping rough in a tent in Cheshire before being extradited to France. During his trial, he claimed he could not remember the killing due to alcohol and antidepressant addiction. The prosecution described him as a violent man, citing a previous incident where he drove his Mercedes through the front door of Legg's mansion.
Griffin's latest sentence ensures he will remain behind bars in the UK, bringing some measure of justice for his victims. The case has raised questions about the French judicial system's handling of serious crimes and the safety of the public when convicted murderers are released early.
